Sitting down with Bill Tome, PAL director and Boynton Beach Police Officer

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Boynton Beach Police Officer Bill Tome
Age – 50
Born – New York
Lives – Boca Raton
Heroes – High school football coach, Tom Dinuovo
Activities – Sports, martial arts
Favorite sports – Basketball and football
Tome has been the director of the Boynton Beach Police Department’s Police Athletic League program for 17 years
Tome plans to retire in Oct. 2010
The Ezell Hester Center’s football field and scoreboard was renamed the Bill Tome Sports Complex, 1901 N. Seacrest Blvd.
Tome began his career with the Boynton Beach Police Department in 1987, serving five years as a road patrol officer.

How did you get into this line of work?

“After working under cover for five years, the City wanted an officer at the Hester Center full time to work with the kids. I pretty much opened the doors to the Hester Center when it opened.”

What is your favorite part of your job?

“It is definitely interacting with the kids. The volunteers here are the backbone of the program and some of their kids grow up and become volunteers.”

What was your reaction to the field being named after you?

“Aside from being surprised, it was unbelievable. It is a testimate to the police department and the community working together.”

Read more in the July 22 issue of the Boynton Forum.

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About This Blog

Mike Rothman
Mike Rothman graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a Master’s Degree in Management. He grew up in South Florida and has been back working here since July 2006. Mike wrote for numerous publications previously including the Gainesville Sun, GatorBait Magazine and Inspin.com, where he was the NBA Expert.

When Mike is not hitting the streets of Boynton Beach and Delray Beach looking for stories, he can be found playing sports or spending time with friends.

He also enjoys provoking his fellow Hometown Downtown columnist, Dave DiPino, for the sake of good stories, of course. He can be reached at mkrothman@tribune.com or at 954-871-1233.